98 Prominent Hollywood Jews Back Iran Nuclear Deal Open Letter

Friday 14 August 2015

by Seth Abramovitch :

Matthew Weiner, Eli Broad, Norman Lear and Frank Gehry are among those
who warn of a "tragic mistake" should Congress kill the agreement.

A coalition of 98 prominent members of Los Angeles’ Jewish community — most with ties to Hollywood — have signed an open letter supporting the proposed nuclear agreement between Iran and six world powers led by the United States.

Identifying themselves as "American Jewish supporters of Israel" in the full-page ad, which will appear in the Thursday edition of L.A.’s Jewish Journal, the group urges Congress to approve the agreement because it "is in the best interest of the United States and Israel."

"We appreciate that many have reasonable concerns about the risks of a complex nuclear weapons development agreement with an untrustworthy adversary like Iran," the letter states. "We too hold these concerns, but the deal that was reached is not founded on trust; it is grounded in rigorous inspections and monitoring."

The letter warns that killing the deal, as many Republican lawmakers have pledged to do — and even one Democrat, New York Senator Chuck Schumer, considered one of Congress’ most influential Jewish voices — would be a "tragic mistake."

"I just felt that some of the mainstream Jewish organizations weren’t speaking on behalf of a large segment of the community that has a different point of view," Velkes tells The Hollywood Reporter, adding that LA’s Jewish population is "as diverse a community as one might imagine."

The letter is similar in message to one published Tuesday in The Washington Post [3] by 36 retired U.S. generals and admirals and another sent by 29 top American nuclear scientists and arms control experts to President Barack Obama. The latter [4] praised the deal as "innovative" and "stringent" in advancing the cause of peace in the Middle East.98 Prominent Hollywood Jews Back Iran Nuclear Deal in Open Letter

Congress has until Sept. 17 to vote on a resolution of disapproval on the deal. Should the naysayers win (a likelihood as Republicans control both chambers), Obama’s ability to waive economic sanctions imposed on Iran — a key deal point — would be blocked, scuttling the agreement. Obama has pledged to veto such a resolution if it passes Congress.

Among Israelis, opinion is heavily weighted toward those who oppose. Recent polls conducted by Israel’s Channel 10 found that 69 percent of Israeli citizens are against the deal, 10 percent are in favor and 21 percent are undecided, according [5] to Haaretz. The same poll found that opinion was split down the middle on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s campaign against the deal. Thirty-seven percent thought the leader — who has vociferously opposed the measure — has failed to adequately block its passage, while 34 percent feel he has done a good job.

In the U.S., a CBS News poll conducted earlier this month [6] found that 53 percent of respondents felt the agreement will not be effective in preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. But a Jewish Journal poll [7] in July of American Jews found that 49 percent favored the deal despite misgivings while 31 percent opposed it.